I Won! I Won! (And why you should enter every contest)

Strength Running's "Dream Race Weekend Giveaway"

In February 2015, Jason Fitzgerald from Strength Running offered The Dream Race Weekend Giveaway. He held this sweepstakes to give one lucky winner the chance to go to his/her dream race by winning a $500.00 gift card-- enough to cover the registration fee, hotel and flight/travel costs.

Over 6,200 people entered in this giveaway, and the winner was randomly selected.

That winner was-- me! WOO!! I'm so glad I entered.

I tell my readers in my book, Serial Racing, to remember that for every contest, drawing and giveaway out there, someone has to win. I enter in every giveaway or raffle that I'm interested in (and qualify for). Whether it's a raffle at an expo booth or an entry for an online or social media contest, if I like the prizes, I go for it.

I've won a free Garmin GPS, free race entries, free hotel stays, and now, I am honored and excited to be holding my $500.00 gift card from Jason's giveaway. Thank you so much!

If you didn't join the giveaway or had not heard of Strength Running before, I highly recommend checking out Jason's website. Jason has a strong focus on injury prevention, which helps both new and experienced athletes. There are many excellent (and humorous) blog posts and great resources on his site.

My Dream Race Weekend Choice

I read over some of posts and comments other entrants made about this giveaway, stating what their dream race would be. So what's mine?

My Dream Race Weekend will be-- Indianapolis.

No really.

I've volunteered as a chapter coordinator and director for Medals4Mettle since 2011. I volunteer with five other directors and 75 other chapter coordinators worldwide to visit almost 50,000 children and adults fighting serious and life threatening illness, awarding them the earned donated medals athletes send to us. I've only met three of the 80 people who donate their time and efforts to run our organization in person. I've never met our founder, Dr. Steven Isenberg, the man responsible for our amazing nonprofit. Medals4Mettle started with him in Indianapolis, IN and has since spread across the country and the world.

2015 is the 10th anniversary of Medals4Mettle. We're celebrating our birthday with a chapter coordinator reunion at the Indianapolis Monumental Half and Full Marathon weekend. I feel the best use of this giveaway prize is to cover my trip to Indy, giving me the chance to finally meet all the amazing people that are part of our organization. Also, I've never raced in Indiana before, so it also gives me a new state.